Campaign mailers sent to Latino voters promising a hike in the $8 minimum wage if Wendy Greuel is elected are sparking controversy in the Los Angeles mayor's race.

Two mailers, sent by an outside committee supported by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor that represents 600,000 union workers and supports Greuel, were sent in Spanish and English last week.

The mailers suggest the minimum wage, currently $8 an hour, will be hiked under a Greuel administration.

Voters go to the polls in one week.

"On May 21, our votes will elect la Wendy and raise the minimum wage for housekeepers and cooks and dishwashers to $15 per hour," reads one mailer.

A smiling Maria Elena Durazo, the powerful head of the County Fed, appears in the mailer wearing two buttons: One reads La Wendy, the other $15. Workers are seen in the background, holding digitally altered signs that read: $15.

Another mailer sent to voters reads: "On May 21, our votes can raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour. We are working hard to elect la Wendy our Mayor so she can raise the minimum wage. "

City leaders said Monday they have no plans to try and change the minimum wage.

However, a proposed ordinance to hike the "living wage" for most hotel workers to $15, is under early consideration by city leaders. The mailers reference Greuel's support of the living wage ordinance, a union spokesman confirmed Monday.

Appearing at a taping for Monday's mayoral debate in Studio City, Garcetti called the mailers a gimmick.

He also stated that the mailers are taking advantage of voters at the end of the race.

Greuel sought to stay above the issue during the debate, saying she's not familiar with the people behind the campaign. She also didn't commit to a $15 minimum wage, saying she doesn't know if Los Angeles can get there.

The mailers are backed by Unite Here Local 11, which represents 20,000 hotel workers, and is part of the County Fed.

Unite Here Local 11 spokeswoman Leigh Shelton said there are two other mailers, which more clearly state that the $15 wage is just for hotel workers. Shelton accused Garcetti of "spinning the issue. "

"We don't think the mail campaign is ambiguous," Shelton said.

If passed, the "living wage" ordinance would require all Los Angeles hotels over 100 rooms to pay $15 an hour to workers. Generally, business groups vigorously oppose such a blanket requirement, saying it hurts hotels.

Greuel said in an interview Sunday that she supports the $15 living wage for hotel workers. Garcetti said he supports workers, but isn't ready to commit to a number. Long Beach, he said, has a similar ordinance, which pays $12 an hour.

In addition to the mail campaign, Unite Here Local 11 is hiring canvassers to talk to voters about Greuel.

Union member Christina Navarro, 48, who cleans rooms at the Beverly Hilton, makes $16 an hour. Since April 1, Navarro has been on a leave of absence, and is now paid $13.50 an hour by the County Fed-led political committee to spread word of Greuel's support of a hike in hotel wages.

"I am telling people that Greuel said $15," said Navarro, who believes that Greuel will be good for working families.

Navarro attended an April 21 Town Hall event with President Bill Clinton and Greuel and asked them about the hotel workers' wages during a question-and-answer session.

A County Fed spokeswoman said Durazo was away on business in Las Vegas and unavailable for comment.